perfection

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (NIV) Isaiah 9:6

The Hebrew word translated “peace” is “Shalom”. Shalom depicts a satisfied condition; an unconcerned state of peacefulness; a sense of well being; a state of being unharmed or unhurt, both externally and internally. . . the deepest desire and need of the human heart. Shalom represents the greatest measure of contentment and satisfaction in life.

God in His own person, is perfect peace and we receive peace with God through Christ. The source of peace comes from only one place, God! It is the presence of God in our lives that brings peace. But, a peace that rules in our hearts and minds also depends upon the measure of our trust in God. It is through Christ that we have peace. . .there is no hope apart from Him.

Do you exhibit a satisfied life? A sense of well being? A life of contentment? Do you maintain a peace which transcends all understanding? If not, go to Jesus. For He is the One who is the Prince of Peace.

How can anyone live a life that is worthy of God? If God is perfect, does He expect perfection from us? No. Our sins don’t surprise God. After all He sent His Son to die for our sins. If anything, the one sure thing that God could expect from us is failure! So if He doesn’t expect perfection, what does God desire from us?

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense– Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. (NIV) 1 John 2:1

John writes so that they will not sin. How incredible! The reality though is that we will sin. But, there is hope. Fortunately, God knows we will never be perfect, at least not in this lifetime. God knows we will sin. He expects us to sin, that’s why He sent Christ. It says in 1 John 2:1: “we have” – the verb tense is in the present. We have an advocate or a mediator. One who represents us before the Father and is our defense. One who can perfectly represent both man and God. Jesus is our Advocate. He is in an eternal face-to-face relationship with the Father. He sits at the right hand of God, pleading on behalf of all believers. He lives to intercede for us.

The picture of this comes from Zechariah 3:1-7 in the Old Testament where Joshua, the high priest, has returned from captivity in Babylon. He stands before God and Satan in filthy garments. Joshua represents the sinful people. God is there to judge him. Satan is there to accuse him. Satan is like the prosecuting attorney with a seemingly open and shut case. But, Joshua has an advocate, Jesus Christ, acting as his defense attorney. Jesus stands at God’s right hand, and silences all the accusations of Satan.

The Son of God has already served the sentence for the people’s sinfulness. Instead of condemnation, God removes the filthy clothes, symbolizing Joshua’s sinful nature, and replaces them with clean, rich garments. Joshua is made clean.

This is what Jesus Christ does for us when we believe in Him and confess our sins to God. He has already paid the price for our sins on the cross. He removes our filthy garments of sin and clothes us in His righteousness. Have you replaced your filthy clothes with Christ’s righteousness? If not, why not put on a fresh set of clothes today?

It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice. (NIV) Job 34:12

However, God is not only righteous and just, He is all-loving and has provided a means to be at one with sinful man while maintaining His integrity.

For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come. (NIV) Isaiah 63:4

God’s reconciling love was demonstrated on the cross through the death of His sinless Son. God initiated the reconciliation. The crucifixion of Jesus was God’s predetermined plan (Acts 2:23) in which every detail of His sacrificial death was precisely planned. Thus, prophecies made in prior centuries were accurately fulfilled.